Quick answer
Both are licensed, established Seattle-area companies. Beacon, founded 1995, is the region's best-known emergency plumbing brand — it advertises 24/7 availability, no trip fees, and a 4.7★ Google rating (its published figures, July 2026), with HVAC and residential electrical alongside plumbing. Eco, founded 2012, is rated 4.9★ across 2,300+ Google reviews, runs all three trades with commercial divisions, publishes its pricing online, and specializes in energy and electrification projects as a PSE Trade Ally Network member.
- Beacon's brand recall is real — 'Stop Freakin'...Call Beacon!' has been on billboards and broadcasts for decades, and the company advertises 24/7 emergency dispatch (their published claim).
- Beacon is plumbing-first (about 100 licensed plumbers per their site) with HVAC and residential electrical services added; Eco runs all three trades with commercial plumbing and electrical divisions.
- Published review profiles, July 2026: Beacon cites a 4.7★ Google rating on its site; Eco's Seattle profile shows 4.9★ across 2,300+ reviews.
- Beacon publishes a one-year parts-and-labor guarantee and no trip fees; Eco backs work with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and publishes typical installed price ranges online.
- Different centers of gravity: Beacon is built for urgent response; Eco is built for planned whole-home upgrades — though both companies do both kinds of work.
Beacon may be the most recognized plumbing name in western Washington — the slogan alone has decades of airtime behind it. Comparing Eco and Beacon is largely a comparison of purpose: an emergency-response machine with trades added around it, versus an energy-and-upgrades company with three trades built in. Knowing which kind of project you have makes this an easy comparison to use.
Eco vs Beacon at a glance
| Eco | Beacon | |
|---|---|---|
| Trades covered | Electrical, plumbing, and heating & air — all three trades under one roof | Plumbing (residential & commercial), heating & cooling, residential electrical (per beaconplumbing.net) |
| In business | Founded 2012 (Seattle) | Founded 1995 (per beaconplumbing.net) |
| Availability | Real people answer the phone early and late; same-day service as scheduling permits | Advertises 24/7 emergency service, 365 days (their published claim) |
| Google reviews (as published) | 4.9★ across 2,300+ Google reviews (Seattle location, as of July 2026) | 4.7★ Google rating (as published on beaconplumbing.net, July 2026) |
| Workmanship backing | 100% Satisfaction Guarantee | One-year guarantee on parts and labor; no trip fees (their published claims) |
| Pricing transparency | Publishes typical installed price ranges online before you ever call | Upfront pricing before work begins (their published claim); published price ranges not a site feature we found |
| Utility rebate posture | PSE Trade Ally Network member; handles utility rebate paperwork on qualifying projects | Not highlighted on their site (as of July 2026) — ask them directly |
| Team scale | Multi-trade crews across three offices | About 100 full-time licensed plumbers/technicians (per their site) |
| Commercial work | Commercial plumbing and electrical divisions | Commercial plumbing incl. grease traps; electrical presented as residential (per their site) |
Services side by side, trade by trade
| Plumbing | Eco | Beacon |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency repairs, drains, rooter | Yes — published residential drain pricing ($250–$650 single fixture; $350–$900 main line) | Yes — the founding trade and headline specialty, incl. trenchless and hydro jetting |
| Water heaters incl. tankless | Yes — tankless $6,500–$10,000 typical installed, published online | Yes — gas, electric, and tankless (per their site) |
| Commercial plumbing | Yes — incl. commercial hydro jetting | Yes — incl. grease trap interceptors (per their site) |
| Heating & Air | Eco | Beacon |
|---|---|---|
| Furnaces, heat pumps, boilers | Yes — heat-pump-led, Daikin authorized | Yes — incl. boilers, hydronic, and radiant floor heating (per their site) |
| Heat pump utility rebates | PSE Trade Ally Network member; paperwork handled on qualifying projects | Network status not published on their site — ask them (PSE has no public directory) |
| Electrical | Eco | Beacon |
|---|---|---|
| Panels, rewires, circuits | Yes — residential and commercial; published panel pricing | Yes — residential services incl. 200A upgrades and rewires (per their site) |
| EV charging & smart panels | Yes — EV chargers and SPAN smart panels | Not highlighted on their electrical pages (as of July 2026) |
Service lists are from each company's website as of July 2026. 'Not highlighted' means we didn't find it published — it doesn't mean the company can't do it.
Where Beacon stands out
Emergency response as the core business
Beacon advertises 24/7, 365-day dispatch with no trip fees, and its scale — roughly 100 licensed plumbers per its site — is built around getting a truck to a burst pipe fast. If it's midnight and water is where it shouldn't be, an emergency-first operation is a legitimate first call.
Three decades of brand accountability
A company that has advertised this loudly since 1995 has a reputation it must defend on every job — that's worth something. Beacon's founder-led, family-operated story and its 4.7★ published Google rating are verifiable and real.
Hydronic and boiler depth
Beacon's heating lineup includes boilers, hydronic, and radiant in-floor heating — systems many companies won't touch. If your home runs on radiators or radiant floors, Beacon publishes that capability explicitly.
Where Eco fits best
Planned upgrades, scoped and priced in the open
For a heat pump conversion, panel upgrade, or water heater decision you're planning (rather than flooding through), Eco publishes typical installed ranges online, includes permits and inspection coordination on qualifying installs, and carries a 4.9★ average across 2,300+ reviews (July 2026).
Energy, rebates, and electrification
Eco is a PSE Trade Ally Network member — required for PSE's heat pump heating rebates (pse.com, July 2026) — and handles the paperwork on qualifying projects. Rebate-driven projects are Eco's specialty lane.
Three trades on one work order
A water heater that needs a circuit, a panel that needs upsizing for the new heat pump — Eco's electricians, plumbers, and HVAC crews work the same project without handoffs between companies.
How to choose between Eco and Beacon
Whichever way you lean, this is how we'd advise a friend to run the decision:
- Get written bids from both companies (and ideally a third) for any significant project — equipment model numbers, scope, permits, and warranty terms in writing, line by line.
- Verify any contractor's license, bond, and insurance at the WA L&I contractor lookup (secure.lni.wa.gov/verify) — both companies here are licensed Washington contractors.
- If your project involves a heat pump or heat pump water heater, ask each bidder how utility rebates will be handled and who files the paperwork. PSE requires a Recommended Energy Professional or Trade Ally Network contractor for its heat pump heating rebates (per pse.com, verified July 2026).
- Read recent reviews on Google for the specific service you need — a company can be excellent at one trade and thinner in another.
- Match the company to the moment: an active emergency favors an emergency-built dispatch operation; a planned upgrade favors published pricing, rebate handling, and multi-trade scoping.
- For emergency work anywhere, ask about diagnostic/dispatch fees and after-hours rates up front — Beacon advertises no trip fees; Eco quotes before work begins.
Want Eco's bid for the comparison?
Get an upfront written scope and price — equipment, permits, and the rebates you qualify for, before any work begins. Compare it line by line against anyone.
Continue exploring
Common questions
Is Eco or Beacon Plumbing better?
Both are licensed, established companies — the honest answer is they're built for different jobs. Beacon is the region's best-known emergency plumbing operation, advertising 24/7 dispatch and no trip fees with a published 4.7★ Google rating. Eco is rated 4.9★ across 2,300+ reviews, publishes its pricing online, and specializes in planned energy and multi-trade upgrade projects. For big planned work, get bids from both.
Who is cheaper, Eco or Beacon?
It depends on the job, and emergency work in particular varies with timing and severity everywhere in the industry. For planned projects, Eco publishes typical installed ranges online (drains, water heaters, panels, heat pumps) so you can benchmark any bid — including Beacon's. Written bids from both is the only reliable comparison.
Does Eco offer 24/7 emergency service like Beacon advertises?
Beacon advertises 24/7, 365-day availability — that's their published claim. At Eco, real people answer the phone early and late, emergencies are prioritized, and same-day service is available as scheduling permits. If you need a guaranteed middle-of-the-night dispatch, ask each company what's actually staffed when you call.
Do both companies do electrical and HVAC, or just plumbing?
Both cover all three trades as of July 2026. Beacon grew from plumbing into heating/cooling and residential electrical; Eco runs residential electrical, plumbing, and HVAC plus commercial plumbing and electrical divisions. For combined-trade projects, ask how each company scopes and schedules the trades together.
Last updated: 2026-07-18
Sources & references
Every competitor fact on this page comes from the public sources below, retrieved July 2026. Review counts and ratings change constantly — check each company's live profiles for current figures.
Beacon Plumbing (their published information)
- Founded 1995, ~100 licensed plumbers, 24/7 claim, 4.7★ Google rating, no trip fees, one-year guarantee — beaconplumbing.net (retrieved July 2026)
- HVAC services incl. boilers, hydronic, radiant floor — beaconplumbing.net/seattle-hvac (retrieved July 2026)
- Residential electrical services incl. 200A upgrades — beaconplumbing.net/electrician-seattle-wa (retrieved July 2026)
Eco & program facts
- Eco 4.9★ / 2,300+ Google reviews (Seattle GBP), verified July 2026 — Eco reviews
- Eco published drain-cleaning and installation price ranges — Eco cost guides
- PSE heat pump rebates require an REP or Trade Ally Network contractor — pse.com (verified July 2026)
Competitor information on this page comes from public sources — each company's own website and published review profiles — as of July 2026 and may have changed since; verify current details, licensing, and offers directly with each company. Company names are trademarks of their respective owners. Eco Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Air is not affiliated with, and this page is not endorsed by, any company compared here. Any Washington contractor's license and bond status can be verified at the WA Department of Labor & Industries contractor lookup (secure.lni.wa.gov/verify).